CLOSED: are these Chinese Mantid, Tendora aridifolia?

While in the garden today I saw this multi-tasking female mantis - mating and eating at the same time! Curious, I tried to figure out what type of mantis they are. According to the UK entomology site only 3 species are found in KY. The one native species is the Carolina Mantis and the 2 introduced species are the Chinese and the European. I think my mantis pair is probably the Chinese species but I thought I would post and see if someone with more experience agrees or disagrees.

Side note - poor butterfly! This female must be a voracious eater since I also found wings of a swallowtail butterfly and at least 2 different moths below the plant. Sad to think praying mantis do not just eat pests.

Lisa

Too bad on the butterflies! wish the mantis would take 'requests", huh?
From what I see of the male, it looks long and thin like this one I've been thinking about from my deck last week- also thinking Chinese mantis

Those two mantids are Carolina Mantids not Chinese Mantids.

Thank you Happy ,

May I ask, how can you tell?

Lisa

Are you absolutely certain? Looking at the relative size of the prey item, the mantids appear a bit large for a Stagmomantis. Also, although I well realize that there is a great deal of individual variation, I cannot recall ever seeing a S. carolina with such a prominent green stripe on he forewing. I would be very grateful if you could provide an example.

Each individual of the same species of mantis and the same sex seem to not be different. The color and the size might be different. Chinese Mantids look very different. The bigger one in this picture below is a female Chinese Mantis and the smaller gray one is a female Carolina Mantis.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uI1iR2Lh28Q/TlKL1b4LJHI/AAAAAAAADyY/-857PAen-P4/s1600/DSCF0236.JPG

That still really doesn't answer my question - can you provide an image of a positively identified Stagmomantis carolina having such a prominent green stripe on the forewing as shown in lilydaydreamer's second image?

That was a Carolina Mantis. The small gray one on the right of that picture is a Carolina Mantis and the other one is a Chinese Mantis. Here is a picture of my green adult female Carolina Mantis.
http://mantisbreeder.weebly.com/uploads/9/2/8/9/9289021/7687579_orig.jpg
http://mantisbreeder.weebly.com/uploads/9/2/8/9/9289021/3400126_orig.jpg

Flapdoodle - the second picture is not mine but belongs to SallyG. I do not remeber seeing that stripe on the pair in the first picture.

Male Stagmomantis limbata have a green stripe on the side of their wings. That is the difference between Stagmomantis carolina males and Stagmomantis limbata males.
Male Stagmomantis carolina do not have that green stripe.

Here are pictures.
Male Stagmomantis carolina.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1920&bih=982&tbm=isch&tbnid=_D7I6XrdFohZgM:&imgrefurl=http://wildobs.com/species/Carolina-Mantis&docid=0XJwB4shesNRlM&imgurl=http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Z2wo1IA3tIk/TRzmuhxFpdI/AAAAAAAAGrs/iXVImbaYKJk/P8298555_Blog.jpg&w=1500&h=1171&ei=psg6T5a5HsKTtwei5cjTCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=867&vpy=147&dur=615&hovh=198&hovw=254&tx=118&ty=110&sig=115152825186731164968&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=184&start=0&ndsp=46&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0
Stagmomantis limbata. The green one is the female. All the others are males.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1920&bih=982&tbm=isch&tbnid=5KwVs4zZl5TrUM:&imgrefurl=http://bugguide.net/node/view/459869&docid=IRtaYpMYQ_WqlM&imgurl=http://bugguide.net/images/cache/IQYR0QFR3K00M0L0903QU0H0903Q80Q0N000MQDR3KOQZQJR90Q0501RJKAR401RIQDRQQYRXQCRU0R0KQWRJKJQYK.jpg&w=373&h=560&ei=-8g6T4WmKc2TtweL9Z30Cg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=306&vpy=117&dur=113&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=124&ty=185&sig=115152825186731164968&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=94&start=0&ndsp=44&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1920&bih=982&tbm=isch&tbnid=NRiMhqWz0njPVM:&imgrefurl=http://bugguide.net/node/view/459983/bgpage&docid=9-w8UNXzXFdDGM&imgurl=http://bugguide.net/images/cache/0L6ZLLEZILTH2HYHIHJHIHOHMHAH7HFHNHBZ5LJHUHVZPHLR9HZR5HTHQL8ZSLAHXH4ZKL5Z5H5ZZLDHKLAH8HCH7H.jpg&w=560&h=373&ei=-8g6T4WmKc2TtweL9Z30Cg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=407&vpy=321&dur=207&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=195&ty=102&sig=115152825186731164968&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=242&start=0&ndsp=44&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0

@lilydaydreamer - My apologies - I failed to realize that the second image (yours) was not associated with the one posted by lilydaydreamer

Alls good :)